REPORT OF BRITISH COMMISSIONERS. 119 



429. On this point, sponking of an early date in the liistory of the 

 islands, Venianiinor writes: "This opinion is fomulod on the fact that 

 never (except in one year, 1832) have an excessive nnmber of females 

 been seen withont yonn^'; that cows not pregnant scarcely ever come 

 to the Pribyloff Islands; that snch females cannot be seen every 

 year."* 



430, To this may be added the probable circnmstance, that the con- 

 stantly harassed and now much rednced number of young- but already 



virile males, meet the females more connnonly than before at sea. 

 77 431. The occurrence of increased numbers of barren females 



has been more i^recisely noted on the Commander Islands than 

 upon the Pribyloff Islands, probably because, as the result of a better 

 system of protection there, these animals still come to the rookery 

 grounds instead of staying at sea. In 1891, a large number of females 

 were observed to be without young both on Behring and Copper 

 Islands. 



432. In the eastern part of the North Pacific, the increased number 

 of barren females has principally been observed by pelagic sealers. 

 Their statements on this subject, whether those already published or 

 those obtained by ourselves in conversation, are of course of a general 

 kind, but they show that 'while barren females are more common than 

 before to the south of Behring Sea, nearly all the adult females got in 

 Behring Sea itself are of this class. The Indian hunters of the Queen 

 Charlotte's Islands, moreover, informed us, without being specially 

 questioned on the subject, that years ago the females killed by them 

 were always with young, but that this was now no longer the case. 

 Mr. A. Mackenzie, of the same place, stated that about two thirds only 

 of the females killed were with young. 



433. Upon the Pribyloff Islands in 1891, we did not ourselves note 

 any great abundance of barren females, but the facts in this matter 

 would be scarcely apparent to those not intimately connected with the 

 rookeries for more than a single year. In his official report on the con- 

 dition of the islands in 1890, Mr. Elliott states that there were then " 

 250,000 females "not bearing, or not served last year and this," but he 

 does not explain in what way this numerical estimate was arrived at.t 



434. One direct result of a paucity of virile males, is to bring about 

 an irregularity and change of dates in the events of seal life, which is 

 especially notable upon the breeding islands in an unwonted absence of 

 the usual precision and simultaneousness in these events. Instances 

 of this are found in the recorded history of the Pribyloff Islands, else- 

 where cited, and facts of the same kind are again markedly apparent at 

 the present time. Such irregularities follow from the circumstance that 

 the period of gestation of the female is nearly twelve months in length; 

 and that therefore any want of promptitude in reimpregnation carries 

 the time of birth on to a date later than usual in the following year. It 

 is easy to see that such delay having once occurred, the female, under 

 the most favourable circumstances, can only revert gradually and after 

 several years to her original time; and that by a recurrence of delays 

 in impregnation the change of time will not only be carried on from year 

 to year, but must gradually depart more and more from the normal date. 

 One important effect of the resulting late birth of the young is to ren- 

 der these much more than otherwise open to danger of various kinds, 

 not only to that resulting from inclement and stormy autumn weather 



* Quoted in United States Census Report, p. 141. 

 t Parliamentary Paper [C. 6368], p. 61. 



